David Redford

Luke 23:33-34

And when they came to the place which is called The Skull there they crucified him. And the criminals one on the right and one on the left. And Jesus said ‘Father forgive them for they know not what they do. 

Matt 27:3-4

When Judas, his betrayer, saw that he was condemned he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders saying ‘I have sinned in betraying innocent blood. 

Reflection:

Being human we all make mistakes on a regular basis—daily, weekly and monthly. Many are small mistakes that have little effect on others like being late for a meeting. Other actions taken or words spoken by ourselves or others have a significant impact on our friends or neighbors. When do we ask for forgiveness or expect others to apologize to us? Others have wronged me in my life through words and deeds. Some people have not apologized and I have carried grudges for a period of time. There are folks I have hurt and neglected to ask them to forgive me. The subject of forgiveness is a basic of Christian life and is mentioned by Jesus often, even in the Lord’s Prayer.

I have heard some good Christians say that Judas should not be forgiven. This was quite surprising to me, as the Jesus that I worship would have no trouble forgiving Judas for his mistake. The two above passages from Luke and Matthew illustrate this logic. Jesus said from the cross that the people crucifying him should be forgiven “for they know not what they do”.  In other words, they were mistaken and made a decision based on incorrect facts. In Matthew 27:3, it is clear that Judas was mistaken and confessed that he had “sinned in betraying innocent blood”, giving back the thirty pieces of silver.

The motive of Judas in betraying Jesus seems plain to me. He, along with the other disciples, thought Jesus would be a kingly king like David and Solomon. Judas decided to be proactive and force a confrontation between Jesus and the authorities, fully expecting to use his miraculous powers to become king. Judas and the other disciples did not know that Jesus was a “suffering servant” as described in Isaiah and not a kingly king. Yes, Jesus forgave Judas (and we should forgive him) because he made a mistake and knew not what he did. Yes, and he repented. In my legal profession, the facts related to Judas fit the rule for forgiveness laid down by Jesus, who is the Supreme Court.

Prayer:

Help me, Lord, to forgive my fellow humans for their small and large mistakes which impact my life, and I pray that I will be forgiven for my mistakes. Amen.